Interpower^® North American Hospital-grade Power Cords—The Safe Medical Cords.

Hello,

In North American hospitals, medical clinics, and numerous specialized care facilities, the NEMA 5-15, 5-20, 6-15 and 6-20 hospital-grade cords remain hard at work providing essential AC power from robotic surgeries to diagnostic testing. During emergencies, surgeons, doctors, and nurses may inadvertently unplug equipment during life-and-death situations when quickly moving patients or apparatus for patients, which is why the crimped three-conductor wires inside the outer sheath of the extruded cord need to remain solidly in place.

Clamping Down on Conductors

This small stainless steel ring can actually help save lives during an emergency when AC power is crucial. However, the ring is not in any worldwide safety agency’s standard as a mandatory component (that the author can find). Interpower designed the clamp for optimum patient safety, and uses it in every molded hospital-grade cord it manufactures. So how does the Interpower molded NEMA hospital-grade cords hold up to UL testing, especially the Abrupt Removal Test?

Abrupt Removal Test

If hospital-grade cords were humans, the UL 817 Abrupt Removal Test would be guilty of blunt force trauma. Standard NEMA cords do not undergo this test. How it works: A plug is inserted into an outlet. Three-conductor cable molded onto the hospital-grade plug is attached to a 10-lb weight and then abruptly dropped. The blades are then inspected to see how far they have bent; the conductors are observed to see if wires have been pulled from the crimp, or broken crimping has been pulled away from the wires.

Abrupt Pull Test

The Abrupt Pull Test is a NEMA three-conductor cord test, which includes NEMA hospital-grade cords. A 2 ½ pound weight is attached to the plug’s cord and dropped 25 times from the connected plug and outlet. Before the initial drop, three lights on the test equipment glow red showing electrical continuity. However, during the test if one of the three wires fail (line, neutral, and ground) and one or more lights go out, the test is considered a failure. If that occurs, the plug is examined to see why electrical continuity was broken.

So, do the Interpower hand-wired hospital-grade NEMAs contain a stainless steel ring like its molded counterpart? 

The Best of Both Worlds

While the molded NEMA medical cords are manufactured in Lamoni, Iowa, the hand-wired medical NEMAs are manufactured in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Besides the obvious difference that the latter can be taken apart and inspected, each has a different way of securing the conductors. While the molded version uses the aforementioned stainless steel ring, the hand-wired plug, comprised of rugged nylon, uses 5 robust screws—3 robust Robertson screws keep it tightly screwed together from the blade plate downward, and two larger screws from either side allow the adjustment of the tension of North American cable which lies against a U-shaped groove inside the plug opposite the blades. Turning the screws move the groove similar to the way a vice works. This allows for optimum adjustment when anchoring the cable.

Either type of hospital-grade cord is designed to provide the correct amperages and voltages for a broad range of medical equipment—portable CT Scanners, X-ray machines, heart monitors, hospital-grade treadmills and many other diagnostic equipment. 

Cord Clips for Safety?

Add Cord Clips to hospital-grade cords to maximize patient and staff safety. The clip is molded at a convenient 4.75 inches behind the plug—they can be molded farther away from the plug if requested. Clips are reinforced polypropylene resin to ensure consistency and optimal retention.

Cord clips take up excess slack to prevent tripping (safety) or the abrupt removal of the plug. They also help reduce injuries when used with hand tools such as sprayers, and prevent wear from the cord dragging along rough surfaces.

For more information on this product or our complete line of Interpower products, please contact our Customer Service at (800) 662-2290, or at info@interpower.com. where you can interact with staff including a technical expert to walk you through questions.

Interpower offers no minimum order or dollar requirements. Interpower offers a 1-Week U.S. manufacturing lead time on custom Interpower products, and Same-Day Shipments available on in-stock items.